


Tick, Tock

by ClexaOtaim



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV), wayhaught - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, Lesbian Character, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2018-12-18 05:42:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11867904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClexaOtaim/pseuds/ClexaOtaim
Summary: Nicole Haught lives in a world where soulmates find each other when the 'soulmate clocks' on their wrists count down to zero upon their meeting. Her clock is a long way off and she's tired of hanging around. Perhaps a new job waiting for her in the small, little known town of Purgatory will help to take her mind off it? Or will her soulmate be waiting there instead?





	1. 06:03:04:15:36

Nicole sighed as she watched her best friend Matthew kiss his girlfriend Hanna as she proudly waved her new engagement ring around, tears of joy sparkling in her eyes. Nicole had happily helped her friend plan his proposal and was genuinely happy for them, she just wished that she had something, someone too. It was no fun to be at someone’s engagement party alone. She heard Matthew begin telling the story of he met Hanna in the background and smiled softly. She remembered the day like it was yesterday. April 15th, 2008. 

Matthew had just celebrated his 18th birthday. After a day (and a long night) of hardcore partying, they were making their way back home, extremely hungover. Matthew refused to take off his sunglasses, claiming that the sun was ‘evil’ and Nicole had ushered the pair of them quickly into the first open café she’d spotted. She was in desperate need of caffeine and he was in desperate need of sobering up. Waiting in the queue for their turn, she’d heard a series of forlorn moans and groans emanating from her friend, and turning to acknowledge him, realised he’d taken off his glasses and was pouting sullenly.

“What’s up, bud?”

“It’s nearly up.”

“Ah.”

He’d spent the beginning of their night of partying hopping around excitedly; shouting to anyone who’d listen that tonight was the night. Tonight he would meet his soulmate, the one he was destined for, his one true love. The countdown on his wrist was showing X:XV:XLI, which meant that he was 10 hours, 15 minutes and 41 seconds away from meeting the girl of his dreams. 

Everyone had a soulmate clock. No one knew why, it was just fact. You were simply born with a clock on your wrist, that supposedly counted down to when you would meet the person you belonged with forever. Studies had tried to figure out why they existed but there seemed to be no explanation for it. Some people tried to challenge the clocks by dating other people but the only relationships that ever seemed to last were when people met their soulmates, leading to them being aptly named ‘soulmate clocks’. It wasn’t always a happy story though. Some people’s soulmates died before they could meet. However, if that happened, the clock would usually just stop, not disappear, just stop, like a clock that’s out of battery.

Sometimes, people just didn’t believe enough in the soulmate theory and would go out of their way to prevent their own meeting. Some people, usually the ones trying to challenge the soulmate clock, would say that they had found happiness and love without their soulmate clock’s help and therefore whoever their soulmate was would have to find someone else too. Only it didn’t work like that. Once the countdown was up, that was it. If your soulmate didn’t turn up, the clock didn’t just reset or start again. That would be it. You’d be left with a clock reading 0:0:0 for the rest of your life. That was a legitimate fear for most people. That was what was making Matthew so down. 

By now his clock was reading 0:IV:XII which meant that he had less than 5 minutes before his clock was out. He had been so sure that he’d meet his true love and now with his head hanging, he was sure that she was a lost cause to him. He kept staring hard at the roman numerals on his wrist, as if he was willing them to change, to give him some more time, but there was no changing a soulmate clock. Everyone’s was different, from the language, to whether it was written in numbers or symbols or words but the result was the same. Either a soulmate or…nothing.

“Latte with extra shot of espresso for Matthew!” 

A voice shook Matthew from his staring and he quickly shuffled towards the counter for his coffee. As he did Nicole took the opportunity to glance at her own clock, and she couldn’t help feeling bitter. 06:03:04:15:36. Hers was a long one. 6 years, 3 days, 4 hours, 15 minutes and 36 seconds, that’s when she’d meet her soulmate. Nicole had become impatient long ago, dating people on and off since she was 16. She’d come out when she was 17 and had never looked back, finally free from making up fake boyfriends and pretending she was straight for her mother. Not that being gay had ever hindered her dating prospects, being a natural beauty with her deep red hair, and soulful, brown eyes, it was no wonder that she attracted attention wherever she went. Partner that with her strong morals and values, protective spirit, geeky wit and humour and she was a total catch. 

Her current girlfriend, Shay, was someone who believed in challenging the soulmate clock. Her clock was reading 04:16:29:55 and she often said that a soulmate clock wouldn’t dictate who she could fall in love with. Nicole wasn’t sure how she felt about it. She enjoyed dating and everything that came with it but she wasn’t so sure if the soulmate clock could be ignored or deterred. Shay just laughed at her. 

“Science is what makes up the world, babe, not some magical gobbledegook on your wrist.”

Shay even went so far as to cover her clock with makeup, and often made a point of not seeing Nicole as she believed that it was soulmate clocks that ruined ‘normal relationships’ because people were put off by the idea that they were possibly with the ’wrong person’. Nicole was pulled out of her musings by a voice calling her name.

“Nicole! Nicole! Look, come and see!” Matthew was calling her and beckoning wildly towards him. She had never seen him look so animated whilst hungover before. 

She hurried over to him. “What? What’s up? Did I get your order wrong?”

“No! Come here, quick! You remember Hanna Farrow, right? From high school?”

Nicole followed his gesturing hand towards the barista whom she vaguely recognised. She was fairly small in stature, petite, and had short, blonde hair with pretty blue eyes framed with long lashes.

“Uh…sure. You were head cheerleader weren’t you?”

Hanna giggled while handing Nicole her cappuccino. “No but close. I was in the cheer squad, mostly doing the gymnastics and tumbling.”

Nicole had never really been one for football, finding herself more of a baseball gal but she had always gone to the games with Matthew and a few other friends, knowing that it was important to Matthew to support the school football team, even though they were pretty bad. The surname Farrow seemed to ring a few bells…

It suddenly dawned on her. “Oh my god. Farrow?”

Matthew and Hanna burst into laughter. “I thought she’d forgotten my sister for a moment!”

Nicole’s mouth was wide open. “YOU’RE Ashley Farrow’s sister?!”

She nodded. “That’s right. She was head cheerleader in the squad about two years before I got in. She’s still single, you know.”

Nicole remembered Ashley Farrow well. She’d been head cheerleader, was in the year above Nicole’s and was drop dead gorgeous. Blonde hair that probably reached down to her lower back, blue eyes like none she’d ever seen, and curves in all the right places. Nicole realised that maybe she had had a reason to go to all those football games after all. 

Matthew was still laughing. “Sorry, Nicole’s spoken for now. But hey, give her Ash’s number, just in case.”

Nicole scowled at him. “What happened that night wasn’t even my fault, I’ll have you know. It was Vodka and Tequila’s.” 

She’d gotten drunk on her 17th birthday with Matthew and they’d crashed Ashley’s birthday party. Playing Spin the Bottle had led to Nicole kissing Ashley, then 7 minutes in Heaven with Ashley which quickly became being led up the stairs by Ashley and into her room where Nicole promptly lost her virginity.

She brought herself back to reality. “As nice as this reunion is, what were you screaming for me to look at?”

Matthew and Hanna looked at each other shyly, then slowly showed their wrists to Nicole where it dawned on her. Their soulmate clocks were both at zero. They were soulmates. He’d found her. She watched with them as their soulmate clocks began to shift and form into what everyone hoped for. ∞ the infinity symbol appeared almost simultaneously and they beamed at each other. 

“Well, are you free tonight? I’ll take you to dinner?”

Hanna had smiled coyly. “I’d like that. I get off at 4.”

Now here they were, 5 years down the line, and with Hanna expecting their first baby, Nicole had suggested to Matthew that it was about time he popped the question. She was elated when Matthew had told her that he was expecting a little girl and that Nicole had been chosen to be her godmother. Now as she watched Matthew and his new fiancée hug each other close as friends and family took pictures, she stole a quick glance at her wrist. 01:06:11:45:19. She sighed and covered it up with her sleeve. 

She thought back to her breakup with Shay all those years ago and though that perhaps Shay had the right idea with covering up her soulmate clock. All it did was make Nicole depressed. She was 23 now, and her soulmate was nowhere to be seen. She’d loved Shay, and yet with Nicole making her way through the police academy training and Shay going through medical school, they’d not been able to make it work, so why should a soulmate make any difference? Shaking the negative thoughts from her mind, she turned her attention back towards Matthew and Hanna. Movement at the side of her caught her eye and she glanced towards it, her eyes settling on Hanna’s sister Ashley who was looking at Nicole appreciatively. Nicole raised an eyebrow at her. Ashley hadn’t been the only person to look her over tonight. She’d had to come from work and was still in her police uniform, khakis, teal shirt with badge and gun belt (minus the gun, she’d made sure to leave that in her precinct locker). Ashley was making her way towards her now. 

“Well, well, what a mighty fine police officer you make, Nicole Haught.”

Nicole grinned and feigned seriousness. “It’s Officer Haught now, Miss.”

Mischief sparked in Ashley’s eyes. “I hear that you’re leaving our little town too…that true, Officer Haught?”

“’Fraid it is. Been offered a Deputy Sheriff position down in Purgatory.”

“Never heard of it.”

“Neither have I, but can’t turn down being Deputy Sheriff.”

“Well, Officer Haught…” Ashley purred and started to sashay towards the entrance, turning briefly to wink and beckon seductively to Nicole “better give you a good send-off then.”

Nicole subtly followed her out of the party with Matthew seeing her and Ashley, and putting two and two together, giving her a not so subtle thumbs up before going back to his guests. Nicole continued outside finding Ashley waiting inside a taxi, who all but pulled her in.

“Come on, Deputy Sheriff; let’s make your last night one to remember.”

Nicole’s lips curved into an amused smirk. It couldn’t hurt, right?


	2. A Country Girl with City Dreams

Another day, another dollar. Cleaning beer taps wasn’t exactly fun, but it was a living. Until she could find her way out of town and into a good college, Waverly was stuck. Not that Purgatory was a bad place to be stuck in; she had always managed well here. She was well known and well liked, unlike her sister Wynonna. She was more…feared. She’d started hanging around with an older man who had a moustache and dressed like a cowboy. She referred to him as ‘Doc’ though Waverly doubted that was his real name. Ever since she’d met him, she’d started carrying around daddy’s old gun ‘Peacemaker’ too, partly the reason why a few of the townsfolk were now a little afraid of her. 

She had wondered if this ‘Doc’ was Wynonna’s soulmate hence her spending so much time with him, especially uncharacteristic of Wynonna as she never seemed to stay with one guy for very long. But Wynonna never let anyone see her soulmate clock and so Waverly would never be able to tell. She glanced down at her own soulmate clock. 01:00:05:45:34. She sighed, and gazed at it longingly. She would never to admit to anyone how much of a hopeless romantic she was, and she loved the idea of finally meeting her soulmate, having the clock change shape into that all important infinity symbol that everyone craved to one day see etched onto their wrist. However, she too had somewhat given up hope on the soulmate clock and was now dating the Sheriff’s son, Champ. Champ was hardly attentive, and was boisterous in the most obvious sense but he kept out of her way for the most part which suited Waverly just fine. He only really bothered her when he wanted sex or if he was hungry or if she was ignoring for too long. That she could deal with. She sometimes caught herself dreaming of something better, anything better than whatever she and Champ had. There had to be something better. Champ always nudged her if he saw her looking at her soulmate clock.

“Don’t worry, babe” he’d say “I’ve got everything I need right here. You don’t need them, and I don’t need whoever” he gestured vaguely at his wrist “whoever she is. I found my soulmate just fine all on my own.”

What about what I want? Waverly used to think, before mentally telling herself off for being so selfish. Champ doted on her, when he felt like it, and Waverly knew she should be grateful. Champ always promised her that soon he would pass his mandatory police exam and be working under his father so he could afford to buy a house, and then a diamond ring. The idea turned Waverly’s stomach, she didn’t know why, it just did. She didn’t want to be a wife and a mother. That’s what her mother had done, and her life had been miserable. While Waverly would never complain about her upbringing, she knew that her parents’ marriage and home life had been less than desirable and when her mother left, and never came back, she couldn’t say she blamed her.   
Waverly wanted to get out, and study. Study history, the arts and literature. Purgatory was her home, but she wanted to see the rest now. The world was waiting for her, and she was all too eager to meet it. The bar was clean now; she’d gone in early on purpose so that she’d be done in time to go to the monthly town meeting where any issues would be discussed. It was important to be a part of the local community, important to Waverly anyway, and her boss, Shorty, had said she could go as long as the bar was cleaned beforehand. 

Now as she headed towards the meeting, her thoughts went back to Wynonna. Wondering what she was up to, and who she was with, as Waverly neared the town council house where the meeting was held, she groaned inwardly as she took notice of Champ’s truck parked outside. As she entered the building, she could see Champ sat with some work friends, and an empty chair beside him, obviously intended for her. Resigning herself to her fate, she moved towards him but was stopped by a hand pulling at her coat and sitting her down into a chair nearby. She turned to confront her somewhat saviour only to come face to face with her Aunt Gus. 

“You think I was gonna let you sit next to him the whole time?”

She smiled gratefully. “He isn’t that bad, Gus.”

Her Aunt rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and I’m the next Messiah.”

Champ was looking around for her, finally spotting her sitting next to her Aunt. He waved at them both, and glanced expectantly at the chair next to him. Gus noticed and nodded at him, and whispered to someone stood beside her, revealing him to be Shorty, who winked at Waverly and moved to sit beside Champ who looked rather put out. Gus mouthed ‘thank you’ at Champ who reluctantly nodded back and turned around again. 

Waverly giggled. A gavel sounded against hard wood and the meeting was signalled to begin. Waverly focused her attention back to the meeting.

“First of all, we’d like to start this meeting by welcoming you all, nice to see such a great turnout. On the agenda today are matters of the police department, welcoming some new arrivals to town, and revising some state laws. Let’s move onto the police department news first.”

Waverly began to panic. Please don’t let him have gotten in, she thought, please don’t say that Champ is a police officer. She squeezed the underside of her chair so hard that her knuckles began turning white. Gus noticed and took one of her hands in her own.

“Don’t worry, babygirl, there’s no way he passed that exam yet.” She whispered.

Gus had a point. Champ had failed the exam 3 times so far, and was showing no signs of progress. His father had begun to lose hope that his son would ever be in the police force. 

“Since Sheriff Nedley only has two other police officers working under his command, a transfer has been requested from another division. Officer Nicole Haught will be finishing her year in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department and joining us here in Purgatory as Sheriff Nedley’s Deputy. I trust that I can count on all Purgatory folk to give Miss Haught a warm welcome when she arrives.”

Waverly allowed herself to breathe. It was just a new Sheriff’s Deputy. That she could take in her stride. It was always nice to hear that Purgatory hadn’t been completely forgotten by the rest of the world, and that a newcomer was on their way to join the close knit community. The rest of the meeting went by fairly quickly, and as it ended, people began to slowly trickle their way through the building doors. Champ took this opportunity to catch up with Waverly and her Aunt, and offered to drive Waverly home. 

“Sure, Champ.” Was all she could say.

The ride was incredibly awkward. Waverly was no genius at reading people but Champ was making it very obvious that he was sulking, and Waverly knew that he’d have one of his famous outbursts any time now. 

“I mean, what are they thinking?! They don’t need to employ some new person, when here I am, waiting on the sidelines! My dad knows I can do the job, it’s in my blood! It should be me joining the PPD not some new bitch.” 

Waverly frowned. “Well, she’s not just anybody, Champ; she’s a trained police officer…”

“Oh, you mean a real police officer?!” He snapped. 

“Champ, you know that’s not what I meant.”

“None of that stuff matters you know, all that training and shit that they do in the police academies upstate. It’s all fake; they don’t learn anything till they actually get on the streets.”

“It must have some merit, Champ-”

“It’s all bullshit, Wave! I’ve been ready for this job my whole life, now it’s being taken from me. From someone I don’t even know! She won’t know Purgatory like I do, she won’t even know where to start. They’ve made a big mistake, and it’ll show when she gets here and starts bringing the PPD down.”

Waverly sighed. “Aren’t you overreacting a little, Champ?”

“No.” He huffed. 

The truck became silent again. They were nearly at the Earp homestead, where Waverly lived with Wynonna. Champ never came in. Wynonna made it clear that she didn’t like him, and that she didn’t want him anywhere near her sister much less her boyfriend. Champ spoke up again.

“I bet she’s a dyke.”

Waverly’s cheeks suddenly reddened, with no explanation. “Wha-what?”

“The new cop. I bet she’s a dyke. Women cops usually are.”

“I think you’re stereotyping, Champ.”

“I don’t know what that means, but there have studies to prove it. Most women in the police and military turn out to be dykes.” He looked proud of himself as he turned into the homestead.

Waverly turned to face him. “Look, Champ, I get it. You’re not happy that this new officer is coming in to Purgatory but you’re gonna have to deal with it, and like the Mayor said, give her a warm welcome. We all have to.” She kissed him quickly on the cheek and hopped out of the truck. 

“You’d tell me if she hit on you, right?”

Waverly rolled her eyes. “Goodnight, Champ.”

Walking into the homestead to find that, once again, Wynonna was out, she pondered what Champ had said. Shaking it out of her head, she dismissed the idea entirely and decided she’d form her own conclusions about this new police officer when she arrived. It would be unfair to weigh her opinion of her down with previous conceptions before actually meeting the poor woman. Her wrist tingled as she thought of the new police officer and she looked down at her soulmate clock for the second time that day. The numbers had only changed slightly, just the hours, minutes and seconds but she couldn’t help but feel that it was a sign that she was close to her soulmate, and they were going to meet very soon.


	3. Catching Up

It was time. She’d said her goodbyes to Matthew, Hanna, her goddaughter Rachel and her mother. Now it was time for her to start the next chapter in her life, in Purgatory. The drive down had been slow, nothing special. Nothing her truck couldn’t handle. As she reached the sign with PURGATORY written in big black letters, she subconsciously smoothed out her pants and plaid shirt. She had yet to receive her new uniform and hadn’t quite known how to dress, wanting to be comfortable for the drive and yet smart enough to make a good impression. Pulling into the police station, she glanced around nervously. There was no one to be seen. Nicole had been eager to move to a quiet town, the appeal obvious after living in the busy city for so long. Now she wasn’t quite so sure. 

“Officer Haught? Nicole Haught? That you?”

A short, slightly fat man in a sheriff’s uniform was flagging her down. She turned off the engine and quickly climbed out of the truck. Time to meet her new boss. As he walked towards her, he offered his hand to her which she immediately took and shook firmly. 

“Sheriff Randy Nedley, pleased to meet you. Welcome to Purgatory.”

Nicole smiled broadly. “Nicole Haught. Thank you, sir.”

He gestured towards the police station. “Please, come in, let me introduce you to your new office.”

Following him inside, Nicole observed the plain but spacious police station. Sheriff Nedley took her over to a desk with a plaque reading ‘Deputy Sheriff Nicole Haught’. Nicole felt her chest swell a little with pride. She’d been a deputy before, sure, but she was proud of her achievements in her career and she was getting closer and closer to one day being a Sheriff herself. 

“This here’s your desk. Got your badge here too, oh and your uniform is here somewhere…”

He trailed off as he began searching in a drawer, handing her a deputy sheriff’s badge so he could free his hands as he continued to look. Finding it, he handed her a pair of khakis, a teal shirt embroidered with Purgatory Police Department badges on the shoulders, a walkie talkie, her gun holster and belt. 

He unlocked a cabinet, handing her a gun. “Oh, and here, your department issued weapon.”

“Thank you, sir.”

He smiled warmly at her and gestured for her to follow him into his office. Closing the door behind them, he sat down at his desk, and she did the same across from him

“Now, Miss Haught, you should have everything you need there. If there’s anything else, feel free to come to me. Now about this little town of mine. Purgatory probably isn’t like any place you’ve ever been. That right?”

Nicole nodded, observed from his outstretched hand the infinity symbol on his wrist. It was old and faded which indicated that he met his soulmate a long time ago. 

“Yes, sir. I’ve only worked in cities so far.”

He nodded in acknowledgement,. “Well, the folks here can seem kinda strange, but don’t let that put you off. As far as they’re concerned, you’re here to do a job, and that job is protecting them. They’ll soon warm to ya, you just gotta give ‘em a chance.” 

“Yes, sir.”

“Now, I’ve heard nothin’ but good things about ya so far, and I’m pleased that you took my offer to be my deputy. Haven’t had a good deputy down here in a long time, and I’ve long been in need of one. It’s a big workload, but from what I hear, you’re more than up to e task. I hear right?”

“Nicole nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, sir.”

He offered his hand again. “Well then, welcome aboard Officer Haught.” 

Nicole shook his hand again. She had a feeling she was gonna get on well with this guy. He seemed decent and he looked like he loved the job just as much as she did. He stood and let her out of the office. 

“Well, I’ll let you get settled in. You got yourself a place yet?”

Nicole nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Well, alright. Local drinking hole is called Shorty’s, it’s worth a visit. I’ll see you here tomorrow morning at 7am sharp. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.” 

Nicole turned to leave, making sure she had everything she’d been given, but stopped as Sheriff Nedley called out to her. 

“Oh! Officer Haught! I almost forgot!” He tossed something at her, and Nicole caught it , turning it in her hands to see what it was. It was a white Stetson hat with a tan brown band and a deputy sheriff badge on it. 

Nedley tipped his own hat at her and winked. “That there is yours, Officer Haught. Don’t lose it now.”

She quickly left the station and put her new uniform in her truck, taking extra care not to crush the hat. Looking at her satnav, she found her new home fairly quickly. It was a small, one bedroom house, plain and affordable. It took a little longer to move her stuff in and to rebuild her flat pack furniture from Ikea than she had originally thought but she was glad when she was done. There was just one thing left to bring into the house. She opened the boot of the truck and lifted the heavy cat carrier out, struggling to carry it to her new house. 

“Damn, Calamity Jane, you have definitely put on more than a few pounds.”

She closed the door, and opened the cat carrier to release an angry fireball of red and ginger fur that ran hysterically around what must’ve been most of the house before stopping to rub itself around her legs. 

“Welcome to our new digs, Calamity. You like?”

The cat looked up at her with accusing green eyes, and meowed at her reproachfully. The ginger tabby hated to travel in the truck and always resented her whenever they had to take a trip in it. Putting down some cat food, she was instantly forgiven and Nicole mad sure to put her bed and cat scratching post somewhere warm, so that her cat would be her best friend again by morning. 

It was late afternoon, so she decided to pop down to the store so she could fill her fridge and cupboards before it got dark and she ended up with nothing to eat. Nicole was very conscious about her fitness and would never opt for a lazy takeaway unless she had no other option. Greasy food was okay but she wouldn’t allow herself to binge on it, as she knew her job required her to be in the best shape she could be. 

Walking around the store was quick and simple, and allowed Nicole to take in some of the townsfolk. She bumped into the Sheriff again, who introduced he to his daughter Chrissy, a pretty girl with dark brown eyes, and dark, dark hair. Returning home, she put the food away and opened a beer, finally allowing herself to lie on the couch. She’d considered going to Shorty’s, the bar the sheriff had recommended but she was tired after traveling and made a mental note to go in tomorrow before work. She’d seen that they served coffee in the mornings so she’s take the opportunity to grab that all important Americano before she had to learn how Purgatory ticked. 

Ticked. Tick, tock. Nicole thought about her soulmate clock but didn’t look at it. Her therapist back in the city had told her that perhaps her soulmate clock was why she’d been feeling a little down when Matthew and Hanna had got engaged. She’d proudly rejected the statement, saying that she had more than a little fun as a result of the engagement, thinking back to her night with Ashley Farrow. Nonetheless, the therapist had said that a new job and a new town would be good for her and that maybe not thinking so much about the prospect of being alone would help to lift her spirits. 

Calamity Jane had jumped onto her lap, and Nicole scratched her ears as she mused. “$150 an hour for that hack. You remember him, Calamity? The one who said that cats were evil?”

Calamity glared at her, as if she understood, but probably more so because Nicole had stopped scratching her ears. Nicole looked at her watch and realised that she probably should be heading to bed. 

“Come on, Calamity, bed time.” The cat followed her up the stairs and curled up on the pillow beside Nicole’s head. She wouldn’t sleep anywhere else. Nicole felt sorry for her future girlfriend, the cat would probably end up on her head. As she reached over to set the alarm, Nicole’s pyjama sleeve pulled back and she ended up face to face with her soulmate clock. Her blood suddenly felt cold. 05:45:27. She hadn’t looked at it for so long, and now she didn’t know what to do. She had hours until she was supposed to meet her soulmate. Hours. The years had gone so fast, Nicole hadn’t even thought to put two and two together and think that her time might be coming up. She’d always assumed she’d meet her soulmate in the city. She hardly thought there’d be any lesbians that lived in a small town like this. 

She closed her eyes tightly as she tried to force herself to go to sleep. She was probably overtired and hallucinating. She thought about Shay for the first time in years and wondered if she’d found the soulmate she’d been so against. Turning of the bedside lamp, she scratched Calamity’s ears and prayed that her soulmate clock was wrong, just like Matthew had all those years ago. She tried to ignore the fact that he’d promptly run straight into his soulmate almost as soon as he’d begun to doubt.

Meanwhile, Waverly Earp was curled up on the coach with Champ watching movie when she glanced at her clock. She didn’t even know why she did it, something just compelled her to look at it. 05:45:27. She went to turn her attention back to the movie, some action crap that Champ had picked, when it suddenly registered. Her eyes flashed back to the clock. 5 hours?! She quickly covered it up by folding her arms, hoping that Champ wasn’t gonna stay over and she’d wake up to them both having infinity symbols on their wrists.

Please not him, she thought, anyone but him. 

Hell, she’d take new Deputy Sheriff, someone she didn’t even know, over him.


	4. Eenie, Meenie, Miny, Moe

Ugh the bar was still really dirty from the night before. Waverly rolled her eyes in frustration at the state of it, making a mental note to give Rosita a piece of her mind. That girl needed to get her act together. Speaking of the devil, as Waverly started to clean the bar surfaces, Rosita waltzed in.

“Hey, Earp. You’re early.”

Waverly and Rosita had never seen eye to eye. “Hi, Rosita.”

Rosita pulled herself a ½ pint and sat in one of the booths, putting her feet up on the table. Waverly narrowed her eyes at her. Something about the girl rubbed her the wrong way. She was lazy, spent more time flirting with the bars patrons than serving them, and Champ was always going on about how hot he thought she was. She’d been the cause of more than one argument between them, with Champ often drunkenly suggesting a threesome. Continuing to scrub the surfaces, and moving on to the beer taps, she kept a wary eye on Rosita. 

She thought back to the weird encounter she’d had with her, back at the last Christmas party Shorty had held for his staff. Waverly had been tipsy but not drunk, she’d been too busy making sure Champ was on his best behaviour to let herself have too much fun. Waverly had gone to get more ice for the drinks and as she tapped at it with a corkscrew to break it up a little, she’d turned to find that Rosita had followed her into the freezer. 

“Oh, hey, Earp.”

“Hello.”

“Your, uh, your boyfriend seems to be having quite the time out there.”

Waverly sighed. “Yes, that does always seem to be the case when Champ is on one of his…booze cruises.”

Rosita giggled, and hiccupped slightly. “Booze cruises? Seriously?”

Waverly shrugged, suddenly feeling the chill around her, rubbing her arms. She turned to start scraping some ice into the bucket she’d brought with her and tensed up as she felt something enclose her bare shoulders. It was a leather jacket that smelled of whiskey and a heavy, spicy perfume. She felt a sensation against her shoulders and arms, and the hairs on the back of her neck tingled pleasantly as she realised that Rosita had put her jacket on her shoulders and was rubbing her arms to warm her up.  
It felt good. Heat seemed to travel from her arms where Rosita was rubbing, up to her neck, to her pulse points, and then down, down to her abdomen, down further…

Waverly began to feel very hot. Turning around to face Rosita, they were suddenly in very close proximity. If Waverly had taken a step forward, she’d have basically kissed her. Her breathing felt like it was coming too fast and too slow at the same time, and Rosita’s lips had parted, almost longingly at the closeness of Waverly to her own body. Rosita had ceased movement but her hands remained where they were on Waverly’s shoulders. Waverly subconsciously licked her lips, her mouth drying as Rosita moved a hair closer to her, gently moving her hands up to her neck. Her thumb was stroking the area between her pulse point and her collarbone and Waverly had to fight to keep her eyes from closing at the sensation. 

“Rosita…” her voice could barely manage a whisper, causing her to breathe out Rosita’s name in a far more intimate way than she’d intended “what are you doing?”

“I don’t know…” the Latina’s voice was equally quiet “what do you want me to do?”

A thousand thoughts had raced through Waverly’s head. She should stop this, she should tell Rosita to move her hands and return to the party. She was straight, and she had a boyfriend. Tipsy or not, she had no interest in experimenting, especially not with Rosita of all people. Still, Waverly hadn’t yet moved. Some invisible force was keeping her from moving, because whatever she was feeling as Rosita touched her in this way that should’ve felt so wrong, simply felt so damn right. Waverly was transfixed on Rosita’s lips; she couldn’t get the desire to kiss them to leave her brain. Rosita, as if reading her mind, came closer still, causing Waverly to step back, thinking that she could still create some space between them. Rosita was having none of it, walking Waverly all the way to the wall of the freezer, pressing her against it. The cold of the freezer sent shivers down Waverly’s spine but the heat of Rosita’s body against hers more than made up for it. 

“Rosita…you’re drunk.”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“I have a boyfriend.”

“He’s not here.”

“That’s not the point.”

“What is the point?”

“I’m straight, Rosita…”

The smaller girl smirked at her. “Are you?”

She moved closer, something Waverly thought shouldn’t be possible, and something between a gasp and a moan escaped her as Rosita’s lips grazed her own. Rosita moved in again, and Waverly finally let her eyes close, unable to fight her seemingly inevitable want for Rosita to kiss her.

“Waves? Waverly? You out here, babe?”

Rosita moved away quickly and Waverly sighed, with relief or disappointment she didn’t know. She smoothed out her skirt and top, as Champ knocked on the freezer door.

“Waves? You in here?”

“Yeah, Champ, I’m coming out now!”

Rosita raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. Waverly glared at her, quickly filling the bucket with ice and rushed out of the cold room.

They had never spoken of what had happened, and Waverly doubted that Rosita even remembered but she had made sure to keep her distance from the girl ever since. As she mused on her thoughts, Rosita finished her drink and walked to the bar. She held out the empty glass.

“Hey, can you take care of this for me? I gotta go somewhere.”

Waverly frowned. “You can’t wash a glass?”

Rosita rolled her eyes. “Jeez, fine, I’ll do it.”

She rinsed out the glass and left it on the side, presumably for Waverly to put away and swaggered out of the bar without so much as a goodbye or a thank you. Not unusual behaviour for Rosita. Waverly continued to clean up the bar making sure that the alcohol was stocked and that the beer kegs were still relatively full enough to survive another night. Soon enough she’d managed to do everything apart from the beer taps. She cleaned them with no difficulty and went out to get a keg to replace the empty one underneath the bar. The damn thing was heavy. She usually got Champ to carry them for her but he was at his friend’s playing some stupid videogame. As she carried the heavy metal barrel a voice called out, making her jump.

“Hello there! You open?”

“Um, hi! Be right there!”

Leaving the keg where it was, she hurried to the bar, finding herself in front of the new Deputy Sheriff. A tall, woman with deep red hair plaited into a neat French braid and a white Stetson hat to go with the teal sheriff deputy’s uniform was leaning against the counter, her back to Waverly. She turned as Waverly went behind the bar, and smiled. Waverly felt herself get a little weak at the knees. The woman was undeniably attractive but, unlike Rosita with her femme fatale seduction act, this woman had deep brown eyes, with softness to them not unlike a puppy. Her smile was sweet but at the same time hid a playfulness, a twinkle in them hinting at mischief.

“I’ve been meaning to introduce myself. I’m Officer Nicole Haught.” The woman held out her hand.

Waverly took it and shook it. “Hot. Haught. Haught?”

Officer Haught grinned. “That’s it. I’m the new Sheriff Deputy.”

Waverly’s eyes had drifted down to the khakis she was wearing, distracted by how good such an ugly trouser looked on her. She didn’t hear what the Deputy was saying and was still staring when she repeated herself. 

“Are you okay?”

“Hm? What? Oh I’m sorry; it’s been a long day.”

The woman smiled slightly, the corner of her mouth curving upwards. “It’s, uh, only 11am.”

Groaning inwardly at her awkwardness, Waverly smiled nervously. “Right. Yes. It’s been a long morning.”

Officer Haught laughed, then looking around quickly, returned her attention to Waverly. “Can I get a cappuccino to go?”

Waverly sighed. “I’m really sorry; we’re not actually open right now. We open at 12.”

The other woman smiled in understanding. “Oh! I see, sorry, I just saw the open door and assumed…it’s no problem. Maybe another time? Maybe I’ll be buying you a cup of coffee.”

Waverly blushed furiously. Was she flirting with her? Surely not? Waverly was straight, definitely straight, and she had a boyfriend. Emphasis on the boy. Champ was definitely not a man. 

“Well, um, yes, but, I, uh…I have a boyfriend!” Waverly just wanted to crawl into a hole at this point. Why had she even mentioned Champ? She might have just been being friendly.

The woman, Nicole, looked a little taken aback but had a playful expression on her face. “A boyfriend huh? Damn, lucky guy. I hope he’s not the jealous type, ‘cause I’ll be back for that coffee. You have a good day now.” 

She tipped her hat towards Waverly and left the bar; giving Waverly a view of the best ass she’d ever seen in khakis. Waverly shook herself. What the hell was wrong with her? Looking around and noticing the bar was finally clean and sorted, she decided she needed to go for a walk, clear her thoughts, maybe see what Wynonna was up to. As she strolled through Purgatory, she was so engrossed in her thoughts about the new Deputy Sheriff that she didn’t look where was going, and ended up colliding with someone. 

It was sweet Beth Gardner, a girl she’d gone to school with. She had a reputation for being a little stuck up because her parents were rich, and the Gardner kids could do whatever they wanted without consequence, but Waverly had always liked Beth. She was a nice enough girl, and she was very pretty, with long brown hair and lovely dark brown doe eyes. Guys were only interested in her at school because she was rich, and Waverly had always thought that was horribly unfair. 

“Oh! Beth! I am so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going, are you alright?”

The other girl smiled graciously. “Oh, hi Waverly, I’m okay. I probably wasn’t paying attention either, sorry.”

Waverly giggled. “Don’t we make the clumsy pair? How’ve you been?”

Beth shrugged. “Tucker’s been acting out a little since Mom died but Mercedes is keeping him in check. I try to keep out of their way if I can. They’re always fighting.”

“Oh, Beth, I was so sorry to hear about your Mom. You know I’m just a phone call away, right?”

The girl smiled shyly. “Thank you, Waves, that really means a lot. How’s your sister?”

Waverly rolled her eyes. “Up to no good, as usual. Still wreaking havoc on the town, you know, nothing new.”

Beth laughed. “Well, I have to shoot off, I have an appointment, but we should really catch up more! I forgot how much we had in common.”

Waverly smiled. “Yeah, sure, we should definitely hang out more! I’ll text you or something!”

Beth nodded and hurried away, and Waverly made her way back to the ranch, hoping to get some down time before she had to turn in for the evening shift at Shorty’s. As she stretched and sat on the couch, ready to dive back into the latest book she’d been reading, her jumper sleeve pulled back and with a start, Waverly caught a glimpse of her clock. 

00:00:00:00

Waverly nearly fell off the couch as she squealed at her arm. Somehow she’d met her soulmate and not even realised. But she’d seen and spoken to so many people today. She saw Champ in the morning, the Rosita at the bar, then she’d met the new Deputy Sheriff and then she’d bumped into Beth Gardner on her way home. She paled as she realised that out of the four prospects, three of them were women. She looked at the ceiling and angrily started yelling.

“What the hell, universe?! How am I supposed to know which one it was?! A heads up would’ve been nice!”


	5. A Big Ol' Mess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so I know some people were upset with my use of 'Latina' in the previous chapter - I would like to say that it was not used in a derogatory or sexualised way but I understand that it probably wasn't a great choice so it had been removed and changed. 
> 
> I hope you all continue to read and enjoy.

Nicole awoke to the sounds of shouting outside her home. Shaking her head in anticipation of the day she was about to have, she quickly dressed in her crisp new uniform, proudly placing her Stetson on her head before winking at herself in the mirror, grabbing her keys and leaving with a quick kiss to Calamity Jane’s forehead.

As she left the house, her eyes widened at the sight before her. There were several huge black vans with “BLACK BADGE DIVISION” in big white letters imprinted on them pulling into the small town. Several men in black suits were coming out of one, with one of them carrying a megaphone. 

“All citizens of the town of Purgatory! There is an urgent town meeting! All citizens of Purgatory are to go to the town hall immediately! Attendance is mandatory! All citizens of the town of Purgatory!”

Climbing unto her truck, Nicole raced to the town hall, and attached her gun and holster to her belt, just in case the local police were required to maintain order. These government -looking types never seemed to want to get their hands dirty when things got ugly. Walking into the town hall, she noticed Nedley beckoning her over, and she stood next to him with some other police officers. A black man in a black suit, with kind but sharply intelligent eyes was stood at the front of the room, hands clasped behind his back as he waited for the rest of the townsfolk to arrive. As soon as everyone was accounted for, he cleared his throat. 

“Listen up! I’m well aware this is an inconvenience for many of you, but there is an urgent matter at hand! Last night, several soulmate clocks all counted down to zero, all at the same time, with no way for these people to tell who their soulmate is or was upon meeting them. This phenomena has not yet been discovered in soulmate clock science, therefore we need to solve this quickly and efficiently. My name is Xavier Dolls, and I am an agent with a government agency known as Black Badge Division. We have been tasked with sorting this mess out! We require everyone’s total cooperation! Now, I will ask that everyone whose clock ran to zero please come up to the front, so we can form a database of persons involved in this operation.”

No one moved, everyone looking around nervously at each other and the chatter in the room rising with the palpable agitation. Nicole sighed and checked her wrist, groaning when she saw it.

00:00:00:00

She’d spoken to countless people yesterday, several of whom were cute girls. There’d been the cutie in the garage where she’d gone to get gas…the gorgeous woman she’d filed a complaint for about a theft…the shy, but alluring girl from the bar…

She shook her head, and started to walk to the front. Someone had to make an example and be the first person to show that there was no harm in cooperating with these people. As she walked up, she could feel everyone’s eyes on her, but she chose to keep looking forward until she reached the man, Agent Dolls he’d said his name was, and smiled warmly as he shook her hand firmly.

“Thank you for stepping up, Miss…?”

“Deputy. Deputy Sheriff Haught. Nicole Haught.”

The man nodded in respect. “Excellent. Please register your details with my colleagues behind me. Anyone else?”

As Nicole walked to the other suited man and began giving menial details to him which he scribbled on a clipboard, she heard a drunken “what the hell?”

Walking towards the front was a slender woman with long, brown curls, a devilish smile and mischievous, naughty brown eyes. She was dressed in a red plaid shirt tucked into blue jeans, and completed with brown cowboy boots. She had a bottle of Jack Daniels in her hand, and winked at the man as she reached him, with the agent looking slightly taken aback. Nicole wouldn’t lie, the woman was hot, she looked like a wild ride, but there was something familiar about her…

The woman thrust her wrist at the slightly ruffled agent. “Wynonna Earp. Kinda famous ‘round here”

Agent Dolls nodded, somewhat uneasily. “Yes, well…same again Miss Earp, register your details-”

“With that dude over there? Yeah, I got it, hot stuff.”

Nicole rolled her eyes. As much as a bad girl was always fun to hang with, they were not so fun to date, and she’d ended that phase a long time ago. She was fairly sure that this woman wasn’t her soulmate. More people were now making their way to the front, encouraged by Wynonna and Nicole bravely going first. Nicole didn’t catch all of the names but a few of them, made their way past her and either made introductions or said hello. It was like being at a dating mixer. A handsome guy called Perry had said a polite hello, he was nice enough, with broad shoulders and thick, dark hair, some shy little thing called Beth who glanced her way but just smiled weakly before turning away, a man with soft brown eyes, and a moustache a strongman would be proud of, who looked like he’d just walked out of a Western movie tipped his hat at her but stood next to Wynonna immediately, and with the way they interacted, Nicole guessed that they were probably already a thing. Nicole felt eyes on her, and turned slightly to see a girl stood not far away.

She was petite and quite small in stature but she looked like she had attitude to make up for it. Her dark, brown hair was brushed into a high, wavy ponytail that showed silky, tan skin and a cheeky shoulder tattoo. Curiosity peaked, Nicole allowed herself to stare a little more. She was certainly a feisty character; something about the way she was squaring off to a guy who’d just slapped her ass was both endearing and also very sexy to Nicole. She suddenly looked at Nicole and made direct eye contact before Nicole, embarrassed to be caught staring, quickly looked in the other direction. She sighed in frustration as she noticed the girl walking towards her out the corner of her eye. 

“Hey, you’re a cop, right?” 

Nicole turned to acknowledge her. “Uh, yeah, I’m the Deputy Sheriff. What’s the problem, ma’am?”

The girl smirked. “Can you arrest that douche over there for slapping my ass?”

Nicole laughed. “I don’t know if now is the time or the place but…the next time I see him, I’ll give him a warning.”

The girl hummed happily. “Fine by me, he’s an asshole.”

“No chance he’s your soulmate then?” Nicole teased.

The girl looked disgusted. “That pinche estúpido? I don’t think so.”

Nicole giggled. “Yeah, he’s probably not for me either.”

The girl turned and eyed Nicole up, her expression becoming playful. “I didn’t get your name, Officer.”

Deciding to let the officer thing slide, Nicole shook the offered hand gently. “Nicole Haught.”

The girl’s eyes flashed impishly, a flirty smirk appearing on her face, making Nicole’s knees feel a little weak. “Well, at least someone’s name fits the description… I’m Rosita Bustillos, but you can call me Rose.”

Nicole smiled coyly, she couldn’t quite decide if Rosita was flirting with her or not, but she wasn’t complaining. “So…your timer run out too?”

Rosita flashed her wrist, the many zeros clear. “Yup. Was hoping it was gonna be simpler than this.”

Nicole nodded. “Me too.”

Rosita was looking at her curiously. “So how come I’ve never seen you ‘round here before?”

Nicole shifted her feet nervously under Rosita’s scrutiny. “I, uh, just moved here. Fancied a change, so I transferred to the police department here.”

“Running from something? Someone?”

Nicole narrowed her eyes teasingly. “How did you know?”

Rosita shrugged. “Lucky guess. And also, same here. Ex-boyfriend.”

Nicole sighed inwardly in disappointment. Of course the only girl she had a remote interest in would be straight. “Ah. Ex-girlfriend.”

Rosita glanced around then leaned in close to Nicole, a heady scent of her spicy, rich perfume filling Nicole’s nose. They were so close that Nicole felt sure she was about to have a heart attack, it was pounding that hard. She had to be at least a foot taller than this girl, and yet she had such a dominating edge to her, as if she was entirely in control of their conversation, as if she was used to calling all the shots. In other words, Nicole felt like she was about to melt into a big gay puddle.

“You know, when they finally let us leave, we should get a drink sometime. I think we should hang out.”

“Y-you and me?” Jesus Christ, Nicole, form words.

Rosita bit her lip, and Nicole swore the room was suddenly far too warm. “Yeah, you and me. I’d like that…would you?”

“Uh…sure. Here, take my card. My numbers on it, so you can, uh, call me.” 

Wincing at her own awkwardness, Nicole prayed that one day her smooth self would return before Rosita had second thoughts about her. She took the card from Nicole and briefly read it, before tucking it into her pants pocket. Winking seductively before she turned away, Rosita waved her goodbye. 

“See you around, Officer Haught.”

Nicole waved back, not sure what had just happened. She had been certain Rosita was straight, but she was also pretty sure she’d just been asked on a date. Maybe she was going to find her soulmate faster than she thought. Agent Dolls had cleared his throat again and everyone turned to listen. 

“Alright! I believe everyone who is involved in the operation has come forward! I would like to remind anyone who hasn’t come forward but should’ve, this operation is in your best interest! We are here to help! You may disperse!”

Rolling her eyes at the government jargon, Nicole began to move towards the door when a bundle of small human crashed into her. 

“Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! I’m so clumsy! Are you okay?”

It was the girl from the bar. Nicole smiled and rested her hand on her shoulder reassuringly. “I’m fine. Are you okay?”

“I think so. I’m just a little frazzled by this whole soulmate thing. I’m pretty sure I just broke up with my boyfriend because of it all.”

Nicole tried her best to look sympathetic, as she barely knew this girl. “So…are you one of us?”

When the girl looked confused, Nicole held up her wrist and her eyes widened in understanding. “Oh! Yes! Yes I am! Me and my sister in fact, can you imagine?”

The girl was animatedly talking a mile a minute; and Nicole found herself checking her out again, like the other day at the bar. She was young looking, and very pretty, with a dress sense to kill for, and long, soft hazel-brown hair, which flowed all the way down her back. She was slim but toned, and Nicole had to try hard not to focus on the muscles in her arm which rippled and flexed with her every movement. Damn, this girl likes the gym. Nicole blinked as she realised that the girl still hadn’t stopped talking, and was genuinely worried that she might not draw breath, when she suddenly stopped and stared at Nicole intently, her blue eyes apologetic. 

“Oh, I’m sorry; I’m talking too much, aren’t I?”

Nicole shook her head. “No, not at all, it’s confusing for all of us.”

The girl beamed, like a ray of sunshine come to life, and held out her hand enthusiastically. “I’m Waverly.”

Nicole shook her hand, the girl’s energy feeling almost contagious. “Nicole Haught. We met the other day…at, uh, Shorty’s, is it?”

Waverly’s cheeks reddened. “Oh yes, I remember! Sorry, I never ended up giving you my name.”

“Well, I’ve got it now…Waverly?”

If it were possible, she blushed even more. “Yes, that’s me, but most folk around here call me Waves, for short.”

“Hey, babygirl! Are we going home or what?”

Nicole and Waverly turned to see the drunken brunette from earlier waving her bottle of Jack Daniels at them. Nicole couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Do you know her?”

Waverly laughed too, a little sheepishly. “Yeah, that’s my older sister, Wynonna. You’re probably gonna get to know her pretty well being in the police.”

Nicole raised an eyebrow. “She a troublemaker?”

Waverly winced. “She can be. Let’s just say you’ll know her name by heart by the end of the week.”

Nicole giggled. “Thanks for the heads up.”

“Babygirl! Come on, let’s go!”

Waverly sighed. “I better go. But I’ll see you tomorrow with the others at the mixer, right?”

She quickly waved and hurried towards her sister, leaving Nicole standing there, clueless. “Mixer?”

Agent Dolls handed her a flyer. “Yes. We’re holding a mixer here tomorrow for the group in the hope that some infinity symbols appear on some wrists. Can I count on your attendance?”

Nicole glanced over the flyer sceptically. “Sure, why not?”


	6. All Mixed Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspirations for the ladies' outfits:
> 
> Waverly’s dress - https://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=135070647
> 
> Wynonna’s dress - http://misspapimageprocessor.s3-website-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/1000/24045-08.11.17%20Ruby6915.jpg
> 
> Rosita’s dress- https://faviana.com/media/catalog/product/cache/thumbnail/500x748/925f46717e92fbc24a8e2d03b22927e1/7/8/7851-ruby-evening-gowns.jpg
> 
> Nicole’s outfit – https://78.media.tumblr.com/b1e1247491eeef65d02fdee103dcaf1d/tumblr_o9er3ez4161vxty5lo3_r4_250.png
> 
> Beth’s dress – http://www.nuethical.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Great-Pink-Party-Dress-63-With-Additional-Prom-Dresses-Cheap-with-Pink-Party-Dress.jpg

Admiring herself in the mirror, Waverly smiled at her reflection. She’d picked one of her nicer dresses for the mixer, I mean, why not? After all, she did have a soulmate to impress. Applying some more gloss to her lips, she rolled her eyes as her phone beeped for what had to have been the thousandth time. Champ wasn’t taking this whole soulmate thing very well. Waverly had been dealing with a barrage of calls, texts and voicemails since she’d left the town hall the other day. Choosing to ignore her phone, Waverly returned her attention to her makeup. Hearing a crash from the other room, she winced and quickly made her way into Wynonna’s room, finding her on the floor in a heap.

Raising an eyebrow, Waverly helped her up. “I didn’t hide the whiskey on the shelf.”

Wynonna whined. “Please, please, please, babygirl, let me have it!”

Crossing her arms firmly, Waverly shook her head. “Not a chance. You don’t need to be drunk to meet your soulmate, Wynonna.”

Pouting, Wynonna adjusted her own dress, a fitting, sexy, black number. “But I’m drunk when I meet everybody!”

Brushing off Wynonna’s dress for her, Waverly hugged her from behind. “Not this time. Promise me.”

Rolling her eyes, but flashing her sister a genuine smile, Wynonna nodded. “Fine, I promise.”

Squealing in her victory, Waverly made sure she had everything she needed in her purse before checking herself out in the mirror one last time. Her dress was a pretty turquoise, with a jewelled strap on one shoulder, leaving the other bare. She wondered if she was too dressed up but the mixer flyer had said to dress formally so she decided she didn’t care if she was a little too fancy, tonight she wanted to make an impression. It wasn’t every day you met the love of your life.

The drive to the town hall was tense. Waverly had never seen her sister look so nervous, and she was sure Wynonna didn’t believe in the whole soulmate thing. Her grip on the steering wheel was so tight her knuckles were turning white. Waverly laid a reassuring hand on her sister’s, smiling encouragingly at her when Wynonna turned her concerned eyes to her. Heading into the town hall, Waverly released a relieved sigh when she realised that everyone had dressed in their finest. At least she wasn’t gonna stick out too much. Several of the Black Badge Division men were dotted around the room, looking smart in tuxedos, with Agent Dolls, stood at the front of the room, also in a tuxedo, greeting the guests as they came in. Looking around, her eyes fell on Rosita, looking drop dead gorgeous in a red dress that Waverly longingly wished was in her own wardrobe. Turning to say something to Wynonna, she blinked in surprise as she saw her sister had made a beeline for Doc, the man she’d seemingly been inseparable from these past few weeks. Shrugging slightly, more to herself than anyone else, Waverly made her way through the small crowd, ready to put her mingling skills to good use. She felt a soft hand on her shoulder and turned to see Rosita grinning at her.

“Rosita! Um…hi.”

Sipping her champagne, Rosita looked every ounce the elegant, mischievous nymph. “So, you too, huh?”

Puzzled, Waverly decided to entertain her. “Huh?”

Rosita held up her wrist. “Can’t have gone down too well with your prince charming.”

Waverly sighed, and held out her own wrist. “No, it didn’t. He doesn’t believe in all of this.”

For the first time, Rosita gave Waverly a kind smile, gently taking her hand to look at the zeros currently etched on it. “He’ll get over it, sweetness. You just focus on yourself now.”

She squeezed Waverly’s hand, again leaving a searing heat on Waverly’s skin, travelling to her neck, to her face, her cheeks reddening slightly. She couldn’t break her gaze from Rosita’s, the intensity of the other girl’s stare holding her in place. Was this it? Was she about to feel the same heat on her wrist as an infinity symbol burned itself there? She had never thought about Rosita that way but she couldn’t deny that she found her attractive, or that she was intrigued by her. Wasn’t that how it starts? You become intrigued by someone then before you know it…you’re in love. That’s how it was in all the books Waverly loved so much. Before she could say anything, Rosita let go of her hand, winking at her. 

“Save me a dance for later.”

Shaking herself free from the trance she’d been left in, Waverly moved to get herself a drink. As she waited for a glass of champagne, a young man across from her smiled. He was slim, with dark, curly hair, and kind brown eyes. As she sipped her champagne delicately, she went to go back to the crowds but instead ended up bumping into the same guy from the bar.

“Oh, I am so sorry, did I spill your drink?”

“No, no, it’s fine.”

“Sorry, I was just gonna try and, I don’t know, mingle. I’m not very good at this stuff. Was kinda hoping that I wouldn’t have to be, that’s the whole point of the clocks, right?”

Waverly couldn’t fault his reasoning. “I think we were all hoping that we could avoid something like this.” 

The guy beamed at her. “Exactly! Hey, my name’s Jeremy. I work at the school, I’m a TA for the science department.”

Waverly smiled graciously. “Waverly. I, uh, work at Shorty’s.”

“Ah. Can’t say I’ve ever been…”

As he continued to ramble, Waverly’s eyes wandered around the room. Finally seeing a familiar face, Waverly quickly snapped her attention back to the guy, who was amazingly still talking. He could give her a run for her money, and she’d mastered the ramble. 

“Hey, so I’d love to talk but I’ve just seen my friend, and she gets kinda shy so-”

Jeremy smiled knowingly and sighed. “Oh sorry, I hope you don’t think I was hitting on you. I just get nervous in large crowds.”

“Its fine, and I didn’t think that, I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

“Okay, okay I’ll believe you. But I just want you to know I was not hitting on you. I’m gay, actually.”

Waverly blinked rapidly. “Oh! That’s okay! I mean, of course it’s okay, you don’t need validation from me, but yes I get that you weren’t hitting on me, I’m gonna go check on my friend now, okay, bye!”

Hurrying away from him, Waverly cringed at herself. Heading towards the friend in question, Waverly couldn’t help but think that Beth looked rather lovely. She had on a sweet pink dress, somewhat reminiscent of prom. Her hair was in a pretty fishtail braid, and she was glancing around the room anxiously. Approaching her, Waverly gently brushed her hand against her arm, to get her attention. 

“Hey, Beth! How are you?”

Jumping slightly at Waverly’s touch, but a warm smile crossing her face as soon as she realised who it was, Beth moved a bit closer. 

“Hi, Waves. I’m good, don’t really like it here but…well my clock ran out so here I am.”

Waverly giggled. “Me too. Any luck?”

Beth scoffed. “Not at all. I can’t picture being with anyone here. You?”

Waverly shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe it’s a little early in the night to tell.”

Beth smirked. “Really? I thought you and that girl who works at Shorty’s were hitting it off.”

Waverly paled. “Rosita? I don’t know about that, she’s probably just messing with me. Plus, I don’t even know if I like girls.”

“Well, it’s not all that different really, it’s pretty nice to be with a girl.”

Waverly’s eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hair. “You’ve been with another girl?!”

Laughing, Beth finished her drink. “Well yeah. I’m pretty sure I’m bisexual, but who knows? It’s not a big thing nowadays, Waves.”

Waverly rubbed her arms self-consciously. “I guess I’ve never really thought about it.”

Grabbing a second glass of champagne from a passing waiter, Beth sipped it coyly. “Well, that would explain why my flirting never worked when we were at school.”

Waverly, who had also been sipping her drink, choked. “You…were flirting…with me…?”

“Of course. You were the prettiest girl in school, smart, a cheerleader…need I go on?”

Blushing, Waverly smiled. This she could get used to. Champ always said she was hot, that he fancied her, but she’d never felt …romanced. So far Rosita and Beth flirting with her had been more romantic than her entire relationship with Champ. Perhaps Beth had a point, and maybe Waverly should’ve been more open about her sexuality. Looking at Beth in her pretty pink dress certainly made Waverly feel…things. Looking at her in this new light, the way her eyes shone when Waverly talked, the way her dimples would appear when she laughed, the shape of her mouth, the way she bit her lip…maybe it was time for Waverly to try this flirting game. Time to throw caution to the wind.

“Well, I wouldn’t say I was the prettiest girl in school…there was you too, remember?”

Beth looked slightly shocked. “Me? I don’t think anyone was interested in me.”

Could she be cheeky? “Well, I am.” Yes she could. 

A smirk teased at the corner of Beth’s mouth. “Well, it’s about damn time.”

Waverly giggled and found herself moving closer. As she did, her wrist tingled. Her breath hitched in excitement. Maybe this really was it. Beth was definitely not a bad choice for a soulmate, so she trusted her clock would hopefully keep that in mind. She tucked a strand of hair behind Beth’s ear. 

“My timing isn’t always on point, sorry.”

Beth held up her wrist. “I think you can get away with that one.”

Waverly’s wrist tingled again, a harder more burning sensation. She glanced at it in surprise, expecting to see an infinity symbol but still there were zeros. Just as she was about to say something, her attention was drawn to the door, as someone had arrived rather late. A few other heads turned to acknowledge the new presence and several people didn’t regret that they’d turned. It was the new Deputy Sheriff, Nicole Haught, her tall figure dressed in black pants, a sheer black top with a black bra underneath and a black blazer on. Her red curls were draped over her shoulder, and she nervously glanced around the room at the faces all turned towards her, quickly hurrying to the bar and grabbing a beer.

As people returned to their conversations, Waverly couldn’t stop looking at Deputy Haught. She watched as she said a polite hello to some people, walking casually around the room, looking considerably calmer now she had a beer in her hand. She briefly locked eyes with her, with the redhead nodding courteously at her and Beth. Waverly waved faintly back. She frowned as she saw Rosita approach her, wrapping her arm around her neck. Surely Rosita hadn’t staked a claim on her already? Maybe it was just Rosita’s way, she was a natural flirt, something Waverly had envied for years. Except for when she was on the receiving end of it…

Shaking her head, she turned back to Beth who was staring Nicole intently, with a look of pure jealousy on her face. 

“Beth? Are you okay?”

Beth blinked and looked at Waverly. “Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Where were we?”

Waverly sighed, unable to think. Her wrist still felt hot, and she frowned as it tingled again. She made a mental note to speak to Agent Dolls. 

“I can’t remember.”

Beth looked a little put out. “Well…would you wanna maybe go for coffee sometime?”

Waverly bit her lip, the feeling of being pursued making her feel a little hot under the collar. “Definitely.”

Beth leaned forward and kissed Waverly’s cheek, the feeling soft, but causing Waverly’s wrist to burn again. 

“I’ll call you.”

“Okay.”

As Beth walked away, Waverly decided she should probably mingle a little more, with a victorious smile on her face, she made her way towards some guys she recognised from her school days. As she made small talk, she noticed Deputy Haught and Rosita in the corner of her eye. She couldn’t decide who she was more jealous of, because she could find herself attracted to both of them and yet they also looked great together. Should she go over and attempt to flirt? With which one of them? With both of them? Should she just call it day knowing that she had a potential date with Beth? She was distracted from her musings when she heard Agent Dolls clear his throat into a microphone. 

“Attention all! So far we have had several successful matches! However, the mixer is now coming to a close so as those who have found their soulmates tonight are free to go and celebrate, I need those who have not yet found their soulmate to please register with the BBD officials behind me! Thank you all and goodnight!”

Waverly sighed and looked at her wrist, glumly making her way to the front where Agent Dolls was, surprised to see Wynonna and Doc also registering, Beth smiled at her as she joined a queue, and her eyes widened as the new Deputy Sheriff and Rosita also seemed to be among the group who hadn’t found soulmates yet. A few other guys were also in the line to register, and Waverly rolled her eyes when one of them winked at her and blew her a kiss. As they were moved into a more orderly line, Waverly heard a familiar, husky yet warm voice behind her. It belonged unmistakably to a certain tall redheaded Deputy Sheriff. 

“Hey, it’s Waverly, right? Was wondering when I’d bump into you again!”


	7. Kiss from a Rose

Nicole smiled sincerely at the small girl before her, unable to stop herself from thinking about how adorable she was, especially as she’d made her jump. 

“Oh! Deputy Haught! It’s good to see you!”

Nicole cocked her head to the side, a flirty smile playing on her lips. “Is it?”

Waverly giggled. “Well, not so good to see you in this line. No luck?”

Nicole shrugged. “Not this time. Probably my fault, turnin’ up late and all, but work held me up.”

Waverly smiled in understanding. “I think your job is more important than a mixer, you shouldn’t blame yourself for having your priorities straight.”

Okay Nicole, time to feel her out a little. “Only thing straight about me I think.”

Waverly blushed furiously. Her mouth opened and closed again, reminiscent of a goldfish. Nicole could almost picture her brain working to come up with a response. Nicole made a mental note to fluster her more often, it was unbelievably cute. 

“Well…well that’s, um, good.”

Nicole bit her lip slightly, and narrowed her eyes. “Is it?”

Before she had time to reply, Waverly was called forward to the next BBD agent for registration. Nicole sighed in frustration. She didn’t know what was drawing her to this Waverly girl, but she had some unexplainable desire to get to know her. She’d not been entirely truthful when she’d said she’d had no luck at the mixer. Rosita had asked her out for a drink, and she’d said yes. She wasn’t an idiot; you didn’t turn down girls like Rosita. She walked forward as she was called by another BBD agent. 

“Name?”

“Nicole Haught.”

“Age?”

Nicole huffed. “Didn’t we do all this last time?”

The man raised an eyebrow. “Very well. I’ll skip the personal details. Sexual orientation?”

Nicole raised her own eyebrow. “Isn’t that a personal detail?”

“It wasn’t featured in the last profile, Miss Haught.”

“Fine. I’m a lesbian.”

“Homosexual. Did you see anyone or interact with anyone tonight that you feel might be your soulmate?”

“You know I’ve literally just arrived in town, right?”

“Just answer the question, Miss Haught.”

“Okay. Rosita Bustillos.”

He wrote down her name. “Anyone else?”

Nicole huffed again. “Can’t see this place havin’ a huge pride parade, you feel me?”

“I do not.”

“There’s not gonna be many options for me here. It’s a small town, not likely to be many other gay gals.”

“Very well. Are you sure there is no one else you can think of, before I let you go?”

Nicole chanced a glance at Waverly, who was chatting amicably with the agent she was with. A pretty smile on her face, it reached her eyes which sparkled with her mirth. 

“Um, there’s a girl called Waverly. I don’t know the surname.”

The man looked up in surprise and scoffed. “Waverly Earp?”

Nicole narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s the one. There a problem?”

The man shook his head in disbelief. “Only that half the mixer seems to be in love with her. You can go.”

Nicole rolled her eyes and walked towards the exit, passing by Waverly who waved at her. Feeling triumphant and unsure why, she nodded back and made her way back to her truck. She hadn’t even got to the door before her phone beeped. Sheriff Nedley wanted her at Shorty’s bar. A fight had broken out resulting in one of his other officers being knocked out and he needed her help. She jumped in her car, and raced there. She screeched to a halt outside, clipping her badge on her belt and putting her Stetson on. She also clipped a sidearm that she kept in her glove box on, just in case. Walking into the bar, she was welcomed to absolute carnage. There was chaos everywhere. There was broken glass littered on the floor. Two men were laying into each other like animals, and Nedley was crouched on the floor with his other officer trying to bring him to.

Nicole tried to evaluate more of the situation, ducking as a beer bottle flew towards her, smashing on the wall behind her. There was another unconscious man slumped in the corner, and three more men were fighting near the pool table. One of them was brandishing a broken pool cue which Nicole suspected had knocked out her fellow officer. Movement caught her attention on the floor, and she clocked Rosita on the floor sporting a bruise on her cheek that definitely hasn’t been there at the mixer. Time to break this shit show up. She un-holstered her gun and fired two rounds in the air. 

“PURGATORY POLICE DEPARTMENT! BREAK IT UP! NOW!”

The bar fell quiet as they all took her in. The two men nearest to her burst into laughter and kept fighting. Nicole sighed. She hated having to do things the hard way. She grabbed the nearest guy’s shoulder and twisted. He yelled out I pain and let go of the guy he was beating and tried to throw a punch her way. Nicole easily dodged it, catching his next swing and using his momentum to pull his arm behind his back and shove him onto the ground, the man squealing like a pig for her to let go. 

“Sheriff! Cuffs!”

Nedley threw some cuffs her way and Nicole shackled his free arm. “You dumb bitch! Get off me!”

Nicole added more pressure to his arm, causing him to scream. “Call me a bitch again and I’ll break it! Now shut up!”

Nedley threw her some more cuffs. The other man held up his hands in surrender, looking terrified of Nicole. She gestured towards him. 

“Sheriff, you cuff him. I’ll sort these.”

Stalking towards the three other men who’d completely ignored her takedown of the other patrons and continued fighting, she reached Rosita first. She crouched down to her.

“Are you alright?”

Rosita allowed Nicole to help her up. “Yeah. Champ and his goon friends just started shit. Fuckin’ animals.”

“Go and sit over there. Don’t go anywhere.”

Rosita nodded. “Okay.”

“HEY! I SAID BREAK IT UP!”

One of the guys, a youngish lad looked up. “Look fellas! Look who it is! The new DEPUTY SHERIFF! Fuckin’ dyke.” He spat on the ground at her feet.

Nicole raised an eyebrow. “Put your hands on your head and kneel on the ground.”

“You can’t make me do shit. Hey Jason, Davey, kick her ass!”

He gestured drunkenly behind her, and Nicole followed his hands to the two cuffed idiots who were now face-down on the floor. 

“Oooh, I think Jason and Davey are out of action. Hands on your head, knees on the floor. Don’t make this hard.”

Champ spat again. “Fuck this bitch, get her Felix!”

“Champ, that’s enough! Do as she says!” Nicole glanced to her right to see Nedley had joined her.

The other guy took advantage of Nicole’s distraction and before she could react he’d punched her in the gut, doubling her over. 

“That’s it! Hit her again!”

Disorientated, Nicole tried top ready herself but wasn’t quick enough to stop the blow that came to her jaw next. She tasted blood. Now she was really pissed. She took a deep breath and waited for the drunkard to come at her again, this time squatting into a crouch, sticking out her leg and tripping him so he fell flat on his face. Predictably he tried to elbow her in the face when she went to cuff him; she easily slipped it and moved into an armbar. 

“If you move any more, I am gonna dislocate your elbow. Desist. Now.”

“Okay, okay! Please don’t break my arm!”

Nedley had already apprehended Champ and added him to the others. Nicole cuffed the last perp and helped Nedley load them all into his police car. She then took his radio and called for an ambulance. 

“We have three unconscious males, all are breathing, one of them has been badly beaten, several bruises and lacerations to face.” 

Then she came to Rosita. The poor girl looked exhausted and her eyebrow was bleeding. Nicole fetched the first aid kit out of her truck and cleaned it, adding some steri-strips to make sure it healed alright. 

“What happened?”

Rosita sighed. “I just came to say goodnight to Shorty and grab my pay check before I turned in. Champ and his pals were in here getting wasted as usual. I was waiting for Shorty, and Champ decided to start on me. Said it was my fault that Waverly dumped him. I told him to fuck off and then all hell broke loose.”

“Was it him who hit you?”

Rosita nodded. “Yeah but not then. Basically he got all crazy, started yelling that I was a whore bitch, and that I was a disease to this town. Some guy I don’t even know told him to stop talking to me like that, so Champ went to hit him, like an idiot I tried to stop him and got an elbow to the face.”

Nicole finished applying the last steri-strip to her eyebrow. “You’re not an idiot for trying to help someone who was defending you. It was the right thing to do. Just sucks you got hurt.”

Rosita chucked. “This? Nah that’s nothing. Something cool to tell the ladies.” She winked at Nicole.

Nicole laughed softly. “I don’t know if I should be relieved or more worried.”

Rosita smirked. “Aww, you’re worried about me? That’s so cute!”

Nicole sighed. “Well, you’re definitely feeling better.”

“Thanks to you. My hero.” She leaned forward, her hands curling around Nicole’s neck. Nicole’s eyes fluttered shut as their lips met. 

It started softly, almost innocent, then became hot and fierce as Rosita tightened her hold, and became more insistent. Nicole was more than happy to oblige, deepening the kiss and wrapping her arm around Rosita’s waist to pull her closer. Rosita moaned, and the sultry sound invigorated Nicole, made her want the beautiful brunette even more. They were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them. Breaking apart, Nicole had the decency to look sheepish as Nedley looked exasperated at her. 

“Deputy Haught, may I remind you that you are on duty.”

Nicole stood quickly, and straightened her clothes out. “Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir.”

“Have you taken Miss Bustillos’ statement?”

“Yes, Sir.”

He smiled warmly at her. “Very well, you may take your leave. Oh, and if you wouldn’t mind, Miss Bustillos home.”

Nicole’s eyes widened so much they nearly fell out. “Pardon, Sir?”

“Miss Bustillos will need a ride home, will she not?”

Regaining her composure, Nicole nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

Rosita smirked. “No complaints from me.”

She followed Nicole to her truck and got in. Nicole decided to put her Stetson and gun in the trunk. She didn’t want to make Rosita uncomfortable by putting it back in the glove box. As she was just shutting it up, Rosita’s phone started to ring. Nicole stayed out of the car while she answered it, not wanting to intrude. However she couldn’t help but overhear some of the conversation.

“Why are you calling me...that’s not…no, not anymore…no, we’re over, I told you that…please, just stop…don’t call me again…it hurts too much…”

Nicole got into the truck, and smiled at Rosita. “Everything okay?”

Rosita bit her lip. “Much better now.”

As she pulled the truck away, Nicole had some mixed feelings about all this. Rosita was beautiful, and clearly interested in her, but it sounded like there was someone else in the picture and she didn’t need that kind of drama. She also couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe she was spending her time with the wrong person. She still felt a draw to that Waverly girl, but according to that agent, so did everyone else. Nicole was pretty sure she was straight but who was she to assume? But she also didn’t want to start pursuing someone she had no chance with. Those days were well behind her.  
She glanced at her clock as she was driving. Stupid thing. Why couldn’t she just have a stupid infinity symbol, just like her parents, and her friends, and everyone else. It always had to be difficult. Maybe Shay was right. Maybe there really was no point in all this. She turned on the radio to clear her head. She recognised the tune straight away and wished she hadn’t bothered. Everything I do by Bryan Adams trawled through the car. It had been hers and Shay’s wedding song, their first dance. Nicole sighed and turned it off. Tonight was really not her night.


End file.
